The Third Side
by slef
Summary: Sequel to "Moment" ... Close encounters of the Q kind?


The Third Side  
by Slef  
Star Wars Episode 1 / Stargate SG1 / Star Trek TNG crossover  
Summary: Sequel to "Moment"... Close encounters of the Q kind?  
Disclaimer: Star Trek and all related characters were created by Gene Roddenberry and  
belong to Paramount.Stargate SG1 belong to MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp,  
Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd.Partnership.   
Star Wars is the property of George Lucas.  
  
  
Note: This is a sequel to my story "Moment". Read that one first, for this  
to make a bit more sense :-)  
  
  
The Third Side  
  
A crazy spin through chaos, and Daniel Jackson flew out of the Stargate and  
fell with a sickening thud on the ramp leading to it. He instinctively  
rolled himself into a ball as he hit, lessening the impact somewhat, and  
came to rest at the foot of the ramp. The sound of his gasp as he hit  
echoed through the surroundings.  
  
"Oooph!"  
  
Ominously quiet surroundings. Daniel cautiously opened his eyes to check on  
the rest of the team. If he'd hit that hard, they could be hurt.  
  
Nobody in sight. Not Jack, irritated because Daniel was still lying there.  
Not Sam, concerned because he hadn't gotten up. Not Teal'c, keeping a  
watchful eye out for danger. Nobody.  
  
"Um... guys?" Daniel called tentatively. Again, his voice echoed  
alarmingly. No response.  
  
Daniel got to his feet painfully, but a quick self-check revealed no broken  
bones or bleeding, just bruises. So he re-shouldered his pack and started  
to explore his surroundings.  
  
He found himself inside a huge dark structure. The Stargate was mounted in  
the center of what seemed to be a dome. Radiating from there, six passages  
led off into darkness. The central area was dimly lit from no discernable  
source.  
  
Exploring the passages, Daniel found that each led straight to an empty  
chamber. He could see no way out of the structure but the Gate.  
  
Which should have been good enough, except for one little snag: There was  
no dial-home-device.  
  
Daniel sat down on the ramp and wondered why he always had to get into  
these kind of messes.  
  
* * *  
  
Back at SGC, Colonel Jack O'Neal turned on his heel and started across the  
gate room for his 37th crossing. He'd waited patiently for a while but his  
strung-up nerves would not let him sit still for long. Pacing didn't help  
as he repeatedly went over the events of the morning, trying to find what  
went wrong. Because Jack O'Neal couldn't face losing Daniel yet again.  
Believing him dead once was bad enough.  
  
They'd assembled in the gate room at 07:00 for their mission to P3X422.  
Preliminary probes had reported a hospitable climate and atmosphere, and no  
immediate threat (like the destruction of the ROV) was detected. What was  
interesting from the images sent back was the presence of pyramid-like  
structures not far from the Gate, implying present or previous Goa'uld  
occupation.  
  
So they were planning on sneaking through more or less quietly to find out  
what the status was. Daniel had been excited at the prospect of looking at  
the pyramids, but he'd also been serious about the need to stay hidden.  
They'd tangled enough with the Goa'uld before not to underestimate them.  
  
Still, everything seemed normal as they stepped into the Gate. O'Neal,  
Teal'c and Daniel, with Carter bringing up the rear. The trip through the  
event horizon had been it's usual, gut-twisting self, and they stepped out  
easily on the other side. O'Neal, Teal'c and Carter, bringing up the rear.  
No Daniel.  
  
Searching revealed no trace of him, and anyway, they knew that matter  
exited the Gate in the order it entered. Their search was cut short, in any  
case, when Teal'c warned of approaching Jaffa. Reasonably sure that Daniel  
was nowhere near on P3X422, Jack had ordered them back through the Gate,  
hoping to find Daniel still at SGC for whatever reason.  
  
He wasn't. And although Carter tried to come up with logical explanations,  
it seemed that Daniel had somehow become lost between point A and point B  
and was presently either at point X (an unidentified spot in the universe)  
or a small collection of inert gases. Jack could not shake the feeling that  
they'd lost him for good this time.  
  
Which did not keep him from hoping that Daniel would dial himself home  
shortly and step through the Gate against all expectations, again. The  
archeologist did seem prone to strange adventures but always got through in  
the end.  
  
So, see-sawing between hope and pessimism, Jack O'Neal paced the gate room,  
waiting.  
  
* * *  
  
Another scout of the dome revealed nothing new. Daniel went back to the  
Gate, where he'd left his pack. And sat down to heat up some food. The  
structure contained nothing he could use, nothing to eat. Just bare,  
uninscribed stone. After a few hours of fruitless searching and panic,  
Daniel now found himself resignedly bored.  
  
So he opened his pack and checked his rations. Stretching it, there was  
enough food to last him a week. The problem was water. He only had a  
2-litre bottle. No way that would last as long, and there was no water to  
be found anywhere in the dome.  
  
Daniel held no illusions that Jack and the others would step through the  
Gate to rescue him. They would have no clue of where he was (neither did  
he) and the odds of hitting the right gate combination by chance were  
negligible. Anyway, he had a suspicion that anyone who did come through,  
would just end up trapped as well.  
  
Strangely, the idea of dying in a few days, alone, did not bother him as  
much as he thought it would. He knew he'd had a better life than most, with  
opportunities to see and experience things no-one else had. Sure, Jack and  
Sam also visited the worlds, but to him, seeing the living, breathing  
ancient cultures, was the greatest gift he could imagine. Every planet he  
visited either confirmed his life's work, or opened new vistas, different  
horizons.  
  
So yes, he did regret not getting to follow up on all the wonderful things,  
but he couldn't complain about the hand he'd been dealt. He just hoped  
Jack, Sam and Teal'c were ok.  
  
A strange, bouncing sound suddenly echoed through the dome.  
  
"Boing!"  
  
And a second later: "Boing!"  
  
Daniel dropped everything and followed the sound. It sounded very much like  
a plastic beach ball being bounced on stone. "Boing!"  
  
Choosing a passage, Daniel stepped into a chamber. Standing nonchalantly  
against one wall, a dark-haired man paused, gave Daniel a grin, and threw  
the bright red and yellow beach ball he'd been bouncing straight at the  
astounded archeologist.  
  
Daniel caught it. The world went mad.  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon Jinn, former Jedi Knight, Keeper of Balance, embodied by the Force,  
had spent an infinity of hours or years, or perhaps a few moments, being  
one with the Force and learning its currents; the dark whirlpools and the  
tranquil bays, always in movement. He traveled the universe in a thought,  
and spent an eternity watching a flower grow somewhere on an unnamed  
planet. The universe was his to see, as long as he focused on the moment  
and kept the Balance.  
  
He was thoroughly aware of both sides of the Force; the light, the dark.  
The good, the evil. His task was not to vanquish evil wherever it  
flourished, but to ensure that the Balance was restored. If that meant  
aiding those striving for good, he was there to help. If it meant fighting  
the evil, he fought. And left in an eye blink for the other side of the  
universe to aid someone there. Few could recall him after he left. He  
seldom spoke to them.  
  
Because even though he felt lonely in his task, it hurt too much to leave  
after having made friends. He had to move so fast over so vast an area, he  
doubted he'd ever see his friends again. So he lost himself in his task,  
never stopping to consider that his own anguish was slowly pushing the  
Force out of kilter.  
  
But these last few... days... seconds?... a feeling had been growing in the  
Force. Something like an itch he couldn't scratch. Somewhere, something  
very strange was taking place. Qui-Gon left the flowers growing and  
diffused through the void, following the itch.  
  
* * *  
  
Daniel blinked as his eyes slowly focused on something close to his face.  
After a few seconds he identified it. A baseball. On grass. Things slowly  
oriented themselves and he realized he was lying face down on, of all  
things, a baseball field.  
  
"Come on, Daniel!" an irritated, and very familiar voice called. "It can't  
have hit you that hard."  
  
Daniel pushed himself up until he was sitting and faced Jack, dressed in  
baseball uniform and carrying a bat, striding up to him.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
Yeah, Jack." Jack answered. "What's your problem anyway? You were  
positioned right to catch it and then you just stood there and waited for  
it to hit you on the head..."  
  
Daniel was shaking said head confusedly. He remembered nothing of this. The  
last thing, in fact, was the strange man throwing a beach ball at him.  
  
"This can't be real," he muttered.  
  
"What do you mean, real?" Jack asked as he pulled Daniel to his feet. "Are  
you ok? You look a little pale."  
  
Daniel took in more of his surroundings. Not just a baseball field... a  
huge baseball stadium with thousands of empty seats. Spotlights making  
night seem as day ... and Jack.  
  
"We've never played ball before, Jack," he answered distractedly. Something  
just felt wrong. In his head, he could almost pinpoint a spot where  
something messed with his brain. It reminded him of the time Qui-Gon Jinn  
saved them from the Sith Lord.  
  
Jack was regarding him curiously, looking a bit hurt. "You don't remember,  
Danny?"  
  
Daniel faced him squarely. "No, I'm sure I don't. Who are you?"  
  
Jack just stared at him incredulously.  
  
From far away Daniel became aware of a voice saying his name.  
  
"Daniel? Snap out of it. Come on, Jackson, I'm going to miss the game."  
  
He grabbed hold of the sounds, and concentrating on that, refocused his  
eyes.  
  
Back in the dome...and the event horizon in the Stargate was throwing blue  
sparks of light all over. And Jack was trying to get his attention.  
  
"Jack?" he asked, disbelieving.  
  
"Yeah, Jack." Jack answered. "What's your problem anyway? I come here to  
rescue you and you just stand there and stare at me." He took Daniel by the  
arm and pulled the archeologist to the Gate. "Never mind. Let's get you  
home."  
  
Daniel felt an uncanny sense of deja vu as Jack spoke, but he wanted to get  
home. Just before they stepped into the Gate, he was struck by something.  
  
"How did you know which combination to use?"  
  
Jack grinned at him "Pure genius, Danny boy!" And he pushed Daniel into the  
Gate.  
  
* * *  
  
Spinning, twisting, wildly flailing, accelerated beyond endurance, crawling  
at a snail's pace, Daniel finally reached the other end. Stepping out, he  
kept his balance only because he was looking at the ground. When he did  
look up, he reeled in shock. No gate room. Not even a gate on another  
planet. Just black nothingness with a lonely speck of light here and there.  
And a huge old oak tree growing in the void. Under the tree, General  
Hammond was seated behind his desk, looking forbiddingly at a confused  
Daniel.  
  
"Dr. Jackson," Hammond began. "It has come to my attention that you've been  
partaking in hallucinatory drugs. I will not tolerate drug abuse in my  
command. Can you explain yourself?"  
  
Daniel, who'd lost his breath at the accusation, was trying desperately to  
think of something to say. How does one explain strange hallucinations to a  
general sitting under an oak tree growing in the void?  
  
"Ahh... General Hammond, sir," he stuttered, then got his thoughts in a  
little more order. "Sir, if I really am using drugs, it's without my  
knowledge. But this does explain the strange things I'm seeing..." Before  
he could continue, Jack's voice interrupted.  
  
"You bet your Bear's tickets it does!"  
  
"What is it with baseball?" Daniel muttered. Nothing made any sense  
anymore. He was starting to disbelieve everything he saw, not that that was  
a problem. If he truly was hallucinating, then logically he supposed he was  
in the infirmary, under restraint. Which probably meant that he could just  
relax, go with the flow, and eventually it would all go away.  
  
"Make believe in magic, make believe in dreams  
  
make believe impossible, nothing as it seems  
  
see touch taste they're all here  
  
but never know if it's real..."  
  
The singing faded with the scene leaving Daniel once again in the dome.  
There was an added feature, though. A table stood off to the side, laden  
with food and drink. Daniel shrugged. Why not? So he ate his fill of the  
imaginary food, and fell asleep in the imaginary bed that had materialized  
a short while later. If he dreamt, it was no stranger that the waking dream  
he'd been having.  
  
* * *  
  
Qui-Gon willed himself into being at the place where the disturbance in the  
Force was most intense. At first sight it didn't look like much. A dark  
dome with a Stargate mounted in the center. And sleeping on a bed to the  
side...  
  
Qui-Gon had seldom been so surprised to see anyone, though in retrospect,  
the Stargate should have prepared him for the sight of Daniel Jackson  
sleeping without a care, in a stone dome floating in space, far removed  
from any planet.  
  
Concentrating, Qui-Gon sensed the disturbance again. It was mobile, as if  
centered around a person, and Qui-Gon could have sworn it felt... amused.  
Not the usual feeling he got from the Dark Side, he reflected as he settled  
down to wait for the sleeping man to wake.  
  
Daniel woke hours later to find Qui-Gon Jinn sitting patiently next to his  
bed... still in the dome. In stead of the joyous greeting Qui-Gon expected,  
Daniel groaned aloud and turned over to hide his face in the pillows. Such  
a wave of anguish came from him that Qui-Gon was at his side in an instant.  
  
"What is wrong, my friend?" he asked the shuddering young man.  
  
Daniel's voice was muffled. "I thought it would be over by now."  
  
"Over?" Qui-Gon felt as if he'd missed part of this conversation.  
  
Daniel sighed and sat up, facing the Jedi. "I've been having  
hallucinations... and I still am, you're proof of that," he explained  
patiently. "None of this is real. I'm hoping to just wake up in the  
infirmary when whatever I've taken had worn off."  
  
Qui-Gon gripped his arm. "Daniel, this is real. I am real. It's no  
hallucination."  
  
Daniel smiled at him wanly. "Sure, Qui-Gon," he said, glancing around. "But  
Jack in the ballpark and General Hammond under the tree looked just as real  
as you... and you're dead, if I recall correctly."  
  
Qui-Gon nodded. "I understand. I can't prove to you what is real and what  
is not. You have to decide for yourself. Just trust your instinct." He got  
up and walked to the Gate. Turning, he spread his hands. "Remember I told  
you about the Force? That there is a Light and a Dark Side?"  
  
When Daniel nodded, he continued. "I can sense something different here.  
Something is manipulating the Force to manifest all this. But it isn't  
evil. It's strange, but I'm almost sure it's laughing at us."  
  
Both of them were startled when faint singing drifted from one of the  
passages.  
  
"Row row row your boat gently down the stream  
  
merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream..."  
  
The singing became louder as the dark-haired man Daniel had seen before,  
came into view. He stopped singing when he saw them.  
  
"The Jedi and the Archeologist!" he exclaimed. "What a sight! But of  
course, it would never work. Neither of you is ever at home. Pity."  
  
Qui-Gon regarded this being with curiosity. The disturbance he'd felt was  
centered around this person, whatever he was. Daniel watched Qui-Gon's  
reaction, sure that his own would make no difference in the outcome of this  
meeting. He was surprised to find that he believed Qui-Gon's claim to  
reality, but the Jedi had proved himself trustworthy before, and Daniel was  
not the paranoid type in normal life.  
  
The dark-haired man looked around. "My, but it's dreary in here. How do you  
stand it? Lights, please!"  
  
The dome lit up on the inside with thousands of little lights, simulating  
the night sky of a planet center-galaxy.  
  
A stage appeared, with their peculiar visitor - wearing tuxedo - in the  
spotlight, wielding a microphone,  
  
"You, sir!" he pointed at Qui-Gon. "Join us on the stage!"  
  
Qui-Gon, disoriented by the sudden change, and the accompanying wrench in  
the Force, tried to refuse, but found himself up there anyway. This being  
had enormous power.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen," the man continued. "Tonight's show is very special.  
We have only one contestant..." A spotlight fell on Daniel, seated behind a  
counter, looking lost. "... and only one category... this man!" The  
spotlight moved to Qui-Gon as thousands of voices suddenly cheered. Qui-Gon  
tried to see into the dark beyond the stage and could just make out an  
impression of a huge crowd, avidly watching.  
  
"I am your host, Q," the man continued. "And I'm sure I need no  
introduction. After all, I'm me!"  
  
The crowd went wild.  
  
Q took a bow, then gestured towards Qui-Gon. "Our goal tonight is to find  
out what motivated Qui-Gon Jinn, here. Contestant! Do you have a question  
for Mr. Jinn?"  
  
Daniel sat there, caught unprepared, again. Qui-Gon took a step forward.  
  
"We won't be part of your game," he told Q, sternly.  
  
Q stopped dead, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.  
  
"You're right! This is no game, it's a trial!"  
  
Immediately the stage disappeared, to be replaced with a courtroom. Daniel  
was seated on the witness stand and Qui-Gon sat on the side of the defense.  
He had no lawyer present. Q managed to be prosecution, Judge and jury  
simultaneously.  
  
Q the prosecutor faced Daniel. "Mr. Jackson, how would you describe the  
defendant?"  
  
"Um, honest... trustworthy... noble... " Daniel fished for concepts.  
  
"Yes, yes," Q said impatiently. "Those are very good... but would you say  
he's a people person?"  
  
Daniel glanced at Qui-Gon for support, but the Jedi merely shrugged,  
content to wait and see what happened.  
  
Daniel cleared his throat. "I don't know. I've only met him once before,  
but he seems to be compassionate, if not outgoing."  
  
"Ah-ha!" Q the prosecutor exclaimed. "So he's a bit withdrawn, is that what  
you're saying?"  
  
"Well, I suppose his being dead is an impairment to social interaction,"  
Daniel said sarcastically, suddenly fed up with the whole thing. "Who are  
you to ask, anyway?"  
  
Q looked hurt. "You've never heard of me? Q, The magnificent. Q, the  
legendary. Q, the..."  
  
"Pain in the ass." Daniel supplied with a wicked grin. Qui-Gon chuckled.  
Daniel was getting his spark back, it seemed.  
  
Q, who'd been sputtering incoherently for a while, at last found his voice  
again. "Ah, Jackson, you remind me of a friend I have ... or will have...  
your human concept of linear time is so limiting!"  
  
Suddenly Q the prosecutor was back in full force. "Which brings me to my  
final argument. Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, can you believe that,  
with all his powers, the defendant has never been back to check on his  
apprentice?"  
  
A gasp echoed through the chamber, but it was Qui-Gon, on his feet. "How?  
How can I do that?" For all that he knew this was a sham, he found himself  
trying to explain anyway. "It's so long ago..."  
  
"Silence!" Q the Judge intoned. "Has the jury reached its verdict?"  
  
"We have Your Honor," Q answered. "We, Q, find the defendant, Qui-Gon Jinn,  
guilty of separating himself from his friends, thereby disturbing the  
Balance."  
  
Qui-Gon sat down, shocked. It was true, he realized. He had enormous  
influence in the Force, and his feelings did push the Force somewhere...  
but not to the Dark Side, then where?  
  
Q the Judge pondered for a while. "Qui-Gon Jinn, you have a very important  
role to fulfill, keeping the Force in balance. However, this does not imply  
that you have no rights of your own. You should have inquired about the  
benefits as well as the responsibilities when you accepted this  
appointment."  
  
The jury nodded solemnly.  
  
Q the Judge continued. "You are entitled to free time, friends, social  
interaction and unlimited travel, which includes time travel, I might add.  
Qui-Gon Jinn, the Force has done without you for an eternity. It can do so  
again while you take a rest." He cleared his throat. "I hereby sentence you  
to three Earth months of vacation time. Spend it well."  
  
Three loud bangs and they faced Q, bouncing his beach ball.  
  
"Just who are you?" Qui-Gon asked, a bit rattled by the whole thing.  
  
"Can you feel the Force?" Q sang. "No? Well, I don't know why everybody  
always says the Force has only two sides. Does it feel two-dimensional to  
you?"  
  
"No," Qui-Gon mused. "I suppose it doesn't."  
  
"Oh, this is interesting!" Daniel erupted. "But what am I doing here? You  
could have given him his vacation without messing up my life!" Qui-Gon and  
Q both looked at him in astonishment. "I'm sorry, Qui-Gon," he said. "But  
I'm just tired of being a game-piece here."  
  
"Quite right," Q said brightly. "Daniel, you were the bait in the trap to  
catch Qui-Gon, and you were oh, so entertaining!"  
  
Qui-Gon found himself growing very angry that his friend had been used so.  
"You had no right to do that," he confronted Q. "What is your purpose?"  
  
Q gave a dramatic sigh. "You have no idea what it's like to be omnipotent  
and bored. Oh, heavy is the burden of being me!"  
  
"So you just grabbed me for entertainment? Your own private ant farm?"  
Daniel asked, disgusted.  
  
"More like a rat in a maze," Q informed him. "I am striving to understand  
your species along the way, and your reactions are very revealing... and  
funny," he added with a giggle.  
  
Qui-Gon had a growing suspicion which side of the Force this being  
personified. The mischievous side. "Is the experiment done now?" he asked.  
"I'd like to go on my vacation and I'm sure Daniel would like to go home."  
  
"Sure, sure." Q agreed. "I think I'll go visit my friend Picard in a while.  
Just to get you two going... Qui-Gon, off to Obi-wan. Daniel to Earth.  
Abra-ca-dabra. Zim-sala-bim, oh well, whatever!"  
  
Qui-Gon found himself standing in the hallway of the Jedi Temple, staring  
at a very familiar door.  
  
Daniel stepped through the Stargate on P3X422 with Jack, Sam and Teal'c. A  
few hundred meters away stood the pyramids that he wanted to study. A  
warning from Teal'c drew his attention to some Jaffa, and he heard Jack  
ordering them back with the usual sense of disappointment.  
  
The ride through the Stargate was its normal, gut-twisting self, and he  
stepped out in the gate room, not understanding why he had a nagging  
feeling that they'd find General Hammond sitting under a tree.  
  
Somewhere in space, Q chuckled, then spied the Enterprise coming... Oh,  
Picard would be so glad to see him again, he was sure of it.  
  
The End.  
  
(c) Slef 2000  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Star Trek and all related characters were created by Gene Roddenberry and  
belong to Paramount.  
  
Stargate SG1 belong to MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp,  
Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd.  
Partnership  
  
Star Wars is the property of George Lucas.  
The quoted song is "More than this" by The Cure.  
  
I don't own (or have any rights to) any of them. I don't profit from this  
and only wrote it for my own entertainment. In this I'm much like Q...  
  
Special thanks to my alien friend, Clor, for being so patient. You can  
never know how much I appreciate it.  
  
Also, thanks to the Klippe; you guys inspire me even when the subject  
matter doesn't include you.  
  
And thanks to everyone who wrote and asked for a sequel to "Moment". This  
would never have happened without you.  
  
  



End file.
